Fabric



Marh 1943. R. G. KNOWLAND ETAL ,3 4

FABRI C Filed Jul 24, 1940 ATTORNEY Y sive wear.

' pletely the cushion layer.

Patented 23, 1943 FABRIC I Richard G. Knowlanil, llelham, and James M.

Donnelly, Amsterdam, N. Y.,

assignors to Bigelow-Sanford Carpet ,Co. Inc., Thompsonville, Conn, acorporation of Massachusetts Application July 24, 1940, Serial No.347,222 1 Claim. (Cl. 28-79) This invention has for its object theproduction of a fabric which may be made at low cost andwhich has thecombinedproperties of resiliency, asoft feel and high resistance toabra- Our fabric has proven to be well adapted for use as floorcoverings, automobile body paneling and the like where such propertiesare particularly required and have herefigures may, of course, bevaried. The denier of the rayonrnay also vary, but we prefer deniersranging from 4 to 25 and wehave successfully used in practice a 5 /2denier high grade viscose rayon of which Cisalpha is an example. Therayon fibers should be of minimum stiffness and brittleness. Taking theelongation at break as a tofore been obtained only in expensive wovenpile fabrics.

The fabric of our invention is formed preferably of three layers, abacking layer such as a way, preferably by needling, that the propertiesof cushioning resilience and of high resistance to wear are obtained.

A preferred embodiment of our invention is illustrated in the drawing,in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of the fabric broken away to show theseveral layers of which it is composed, and Fig. 2 is a verticalsectionthrough the fabric on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. i

In making our fabric a layer of resilient cushioning material 2,preferably a blended mixture of such material as jute strings,- feltcuttings, dark virgin jute, reworked gunny sacking, or the like,shredded by a arnet, is'deburlap. In practice, we have used successfullyapproximately two ounces per square foot, or

about twelve pounds'for a fabric nine by twelve feet. The material issecured to' the backing by needling, as indicated at 8.

tions to secure it to the backing.

On the layer 2 we deposit from a garnet a' surface layer 6 of extrudedfilaments, preferably mating 3 /2 inches. The length may vary dependingupon the thickness of the fabric bein made, but it should be at leasttwice the thickness of the finished fabric and preferably greater. For afinished fabric which is approxiposited on the backing 4, which may be awoven 2, we insure preservation of the The resiliency of the layer 2 mayrequire two needling opera-'- rayon, cut into staple length, preferablyapproxi-- wear.

-- operation so that the rayon fabric.

to abrasive wear and yields an exceptionallycriterion of thesequalities, such elongation should exceed 8%.

The rayon layer 6 is needled through both the intermediate layer 2 andthe backing fabric 4, as indicated at ill. Usually a single needlingoperation will suffice.

We have foundin practice that the cushioning layer 2 forms an excellentbinding medium for the rayon staple and is conducive to an effectiveneedling of the rayon despite the inherent slipperiness, flexibility andsoftness of.

the latter, all of which properties, however, contribute to the desiredqualities of the finished The finished fabric is highly resistant smallamount-of fiufi to a vacuum cleaner.

Where the finished product is to be used as a fioor covering, we preferto coat the back with an adhesive material,'preferably adapted topenetrate only .into the backing and not into the cushioning layer 2.Such adhesive may desirably consist'of a rubber size consisting of adispersion in water of 40% dry solids, having by weight one partreclaimed rubber and one part clay. .The size securely bonds the fiberswith which it contacts, namely, that portion of the fibers of the layers2 and 8 which have been needled' through'to protrude on the undersurface of the backing 4. By using an adhesive which does, not penetrateinto the cushion layer of the cushion layer.

The fabricmay be readily printed on its tread surface 6 and we havefound it to be excellently adapted for bright and clear printing. withdyes of an inexpensive grade.

The fabric thus produced has a soft, cushiony feel adapting it for useas floor coverings, automobile door panelings, and the like, and has anexceptionally high resistance to abrasive The specified. 'suppleness andhigh tensile strength ofthe rayon permit it to yield and bend withoutbreaking during the needling substantially intact.

It is a feature of our invention that the cushion layer 2 not onlycontributes greatly to the 55. desired resiliency, but so binds theneedled rayon desired resiliency fibers are preserved staple, as to.obviate the need for impregnating the entire fabric with adhesive and itthereby avoids any diminution of its cushiony feel and any imparting ofa dull appearance to the top surface which would impair the clarity ofprinting. The compactness of the cushion layer resulting from theneedling and maintained by the confining rayon fibers contributes to theability of the cushion layer to grasp the rayon soy bean and the like,maybe used, provided they have the characteristics of elasticity,tensile strength, 'slipperiness, etc., inherent in a good grade ofrayon. The fibers of the cushion layer, on the contrary, should not bean extruded filament, but should be of a lofty material considerablyless slippery than rayon and compacted into a tangled mass with whichthe extruded filament fibers which penetrate it from above can combinein the manner described.

We claim:

As an article of manufacture, a needled fabric having a prefabricatedbacking, a layer of lofty shredded material deposited on the backing, a

tread layer of non felting extruded fibers com- C-posed substantiallyentirely of rayon capable of an elongation at break exceeding 8%, saidshredded material being needled through the backing to present fibers ofthe shredded mate rial on the exposed surface-of the backing, the Iextruded filament being needled through both the shredded material andthe backing to 'present fibers-of extruded filament on the exposedsurface of the backing, and a coatingof'adhesive on the under surface ofthe backing securingthe fibers of the shredded material and the rayonwhich are thus presented on the external surface of the backing, thesaid layer of shredded material being substantially free of saidadhesive material.

RICHARD G. KNOWLAND. JAMES M. DONNELLY.

